Outlines one struggling second-grade reader's abilities and reading strategies, and initial instructional efforts with her. Discusses how the author determined a mismatch existed between her teaching, the teaching materials, and the child. Shows how a change of materials--to the use of decodable text accompanied by reflective, systematic,…

Describes a peer tutoring program used in grades two and three of a school where the majority of children entering school do not speak English as their first language. Shows impressive gains made by the children in reading fluency, comprehension, and in spelling. Notes the program's positive effects on reading attitudes, positive social skills,…

This paper describes a school-home reading project that was developed to support culturally and linguistically diverse beginning readers, and offers practical suggestions for starting such a program. First-grade classrooms from 5 Chapter 1 schools in a large suburban school district are participating in the project. Teachers in these classrooms…

A practicum addressed the problem of 8 second and third grade nonindependent readers (students at a small private school) who were not choosing to read library books. The literature review disclosed using sustained silent reading, sharing responses to reading and planning for more available time to read in the classroom and at home as viable ways…

A study examined an early reading intervention program designed to lead children, identified with low reading readiness at the start of first grade, to an appropriate reading level by the end of a 6-month period. Subjects were students entering first grade in a middle class community in northern Illinois. The problems of low reading readiness were…

An action research project stresses the need to incorporate various methods of teaching to develop a firm reading foundation. Self-esteem also plays a crucial role in developing enthusiasm to learn. The targeted population consisted of first and second grade students in clustered classrooms in a growing, middle class community located in central…

A study examined the effectiveness of an immersion-in-literacy program in a first-grade classroom. Six of the 22 students (all six were boys) indicated on a reading attitude survey that they did not like to read books. The classroom teacher set up her classroom so that it fostered literacy development. Some of the experiences and activities she…

A practicum was developed which implemented an alternative to using a standard reading textbook, by using the newspaper as a learning tool to supplement the existing reading program over a 12-week period in a first grade class. The program centered around a collection of techniques and strategies used to motivate and increase young children's…

The 1988-89 Compensatory Language Experiences and Reading--Reading Recovery (CLEAR-RR) Program of the Columbus, Ohio, public schools was implemented to provide early intervention to 283 underachieving first-grade pupils who appeared unlikely to learn to read successfully without intensive instruction. The program's two major goals were to develop…

A practicum was implemented to improve the sight-word vocabulary and attitudes toward reading among 22 second-grade students reading below grade level. The program took approximately 45 minutes a day, 2 days a week. The language experience approach was used in conjunction with word processors. The different types of activities included dictated…

Evaluating the effectiveness of the Reading Recovery program pioneered in New Zealand by Marie Clay (daily supplemental lessons, for students with reading difficulties, which develop a strategy-oriented, self-improving reading system), a study examined the success of the program in an Old Order Amish population of first-grade students from Ohio.…

A study compared two groups of failing first grade readers in the Reading Recovery program to determine what effect this type of instruction had over time on their reading patterns. Subjects, 60 failing first grade readers, 30 learning disabled (LD) children and 30 non-LD children, were randomly selected from urban, suburban, and rural elementary…

This paper discusses behavior modification principles designed and implemented to increase the on-task performance of 22 first-graders during study and class time for two daily reading periods. Acceptable behavior in class included listening and participation in activities and, during study time, included keeping busy with reading activities and…

To determine if auditory sequential memory (ASM) in young children can be improved through training and to discover the effects of such training on the reading scores of children with reading problems, a study was conducted involving 92 second and third graders. For purposes of this study, auditory sequential memory was defined as the ability to…

Reviews the literature on classroom reading instruction and elaborates the results of a series of studies that hypothesized that high-risk students, such as those typically found in low reading groups, would become more aware of how to reason during reading if their teachers explained the mental acts associated with strategic skill use. (NKA)